RCR Spooky Session

Introduction

Going to start by answering some key questions:

  • Why is this necessary?
  • Who made this decision?
  • Who needs the training and when?

Why is UK mandating RCR training?

“As a public institution of higher education, public confidence in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) by faculty, staff and students is critical. We must promote and maintain a culture that is supported by an infrastructure that educates and assists in the ethical conduct of research.”

Lisa Cassis PhD, former UK Vice President for Research (VPR)

UK has had research misconduct cases in the past few years due to a failure of some researchers to follow Responsible Conduct of Research.

This effects:

  • The reputation of UK and its researchers;
  • Researchers/research personnel affiliated with the wrongdoer;
  • Personnel managing the process for research misconduct;
  • Researchers doing honest work that could have received the research funding used;
  • General public if faulty data is used in publications is relied upon by the medical community, product development, etc.

Examples

*Then College of Medicine Dean Robert DiPaola was a co-author on one paper

Who made this decision?

“In an effort to ensure a baseline level of responsible conduct of research awareness and hopefully prevent research misconduct, a mandate of responsible conduct of research training was initiated based on a decision by a committee of representatives from several UK offices including offices under the VPR, the legal office, and the Dean for the College of Medicine at the time (current Provost).

Who needs the training and when?

All researchers and research-eligible UK personnel and graduate students are required to adhere to the RCR online course mandate in addition to the in-person training/discussion and it must be completed biennially.

Included in the mandate:

  • Full-time faculty
  • Staff
  • Graduate students (only have to complete the training once)
  • Trainees (undergraduates, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scientists)
  • Individuals supported in part or fully through research funding, grants and contracts.

What does the training include?

  1. Online Training
    • Individuals complete modules and associated quizzes through the CITI platform.
    • Must be completed every 2 years by research-eligible individuals. *Graduate students complete the components once unless joining a research project, grant, or sponsored project.
  2. In-person training / discussion
    • One, one-hour session attended on Zoom or in-person on campus.
    • Must be completed every 2 years.

Areas of RCR Training at UK

  • Mentoring
  • Conflict of Interest
  • Peer Review
  • Research Misconduct
  • Data Management
  • Safe Work Environments
  • Reproducibility of Research Results

What Will The Rest of the Day Look Like?

  • Observe 3 case studies
  • Discuss in groups
  • Summarize key points

Must have minimum 1 hour of contact together

Case Study One

Research Misconduct: Generative AI

In this session, learners will consider issues related to research misconduct and the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in research and creative endeavors.

Through this case, learners will:

  1. Consider ethical approaches to research and creative work.
  2. Learn about resources related to the presented scenario.

Case Study #1

Discussion

  1. Sum up the general problem presented in the scenario.
  2. Is William correct in their assumption that they will not be held liable for the text used from the generative TextAI software?
  3. Does UK have any guidance on using generative AI/machine learning in research endeavors?
  4. What advice would you give to the student about using generative AI/machine learning in their research endeavors?
  5. Are there any concerns researchers should take into account for entering data into a generative AI software?

Additional Resources

Case Study Two

Safe Work Environment

In this session, learners will consider issues related to a safe working environment and how to address these concerns.

Through this case, learners will:

  1. Examine a scenario in which an employee no longer feels they have a safe working environment
  2. Consider how to approach sexual harassment issues at the university
  3. Learn about university resources related to the scenario

Case Study #2

Discussion

  1. Sum up the general problem presented in the scenario.
  2. When Ralph first asked Li Yan for a date, was this sexual harassment?
  3. When did the situation turn into sexual harassment if it did at all?
  4. Should Li Yan complain to the supervisor again?
  5. What are examples of ethical and unethical behaviors in the workplace?
  6. What ethical qualities and behaviors do you feel are essential in this industry?

Additional Resources

Case Study Three

Data Management

In this session, learners will evaluate human research ethics and protections.

Through this case, learners will:

  1. Learn about ethical approaches to human research
  2. Learn about informed consent

Case Study #3

Discussion

  1. Describe the circumstances surrounding this case.
  2. What ethical issues does this practice raise?
  3. Is it permissible to use samples collected for other purposes in this type of research? Would your answer be different if this “proactive” surveillance was not based on previously stored samples, but rather just a tally of HIV+ results reported to individual state Health Departments (which often include identifiable data)?
  4. Is surveillance associated with other diseases (like the elaborate system of cancer registries we have) fundamentally different from tracking HIV specifically? Should the act of tracking cancer be different from tracking HIV?

Additional Resources

Feedback

Reflect

  • Let’s identify three main takeaways from the training.
  • What lingering questions do you still have regarding the content?
  • How might you improve this training specifically for SIS faculty in the future?

Case Studies

Post-session RCR Case Study Survey - https://uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_79CaFBt2jglwtMi

Thank you!!